A superlotação de serviços de emergência é problema sério e de grande relevância do sistema de saúde, não sendo restrito ao nosso meio. Os estudos que enfocam esse tema vêm tomando proporções na literatura internacional. O que se vem vivenciando há mais de uma década são prontos socorros lotados devido a um deslocamento da população em direção a estes serviços, configurando-os como prestadores de atenção primária de assistência à saúde e, não de fato, destinados ao atendimento de emergências. O principal objetivo do estudo foi recompor a trajetória do usuário do serviço de saúde até a chegada à unidade de emergência de um hospital terciário do município, qualificando-o segundo as razões de escolha de atendimento e caracterizando seu perfil socioeconômico e demográfico. Este estudo de corte transversal se restringiu à análise da demanda espontânea do Pronto Socorro de Emergências Clínicas do Hospital das Clínicas da Universidade de São Paulo. Foram entrevistados todos os usuários que procuraram este serviço durante uma semana típica. Dos pacientes entrevistados, foram incluídos no estudo 881 pacientes, o que representou 93,1% do total. Realizada a análise estatística univariada, seguida pela construção de um modelo de regressão logística, para estudo das variáveis associadas à vinda direta ao pronto socorro. Os resultados demonstraram que a demanda era constituída predominantemente de mulheres, brancas, com idade média de 44 anos, baixo grau de instrução, com rendimento per capita mensal de até uns salários mínimos e residentes no município de São Paulo (81,3%). Cinco por cento tinham direito à assistência médica privada. Quanto ao acesso a serviços de saúde, 72,5% residiam próximo a serviços de saúde de atenção primária e 53,4% a hospitais e/ou prontos socorros. Quanto à trajetória percorrida antes da chegada ao pronto socorro, 56,2% procuraram diretamente o pronto socorro. Dos pacientes que procuraram outros serviços previamente, 26,4% passaram por unidades básicas de saúde e 73,6% por outros hospitais/prontos socorros. Dos 881 pacientes entrevistados, 771 foram dispensados após consulta médica. As características associadas à vinda direta ao pronto socorro foram: nível superior de escolaridade, não ser casado, não ter diagnóstico médico, possuir cartão do Hospital das Clínicas, ter idade entre 25 e 39 anos e contribuir para a Previdência Social. Por outro lado, quanto maior a duração da queixa e quanto mais distante o local de residência, menor a probabilidade de procurar este serviço diretamente. As razões do uso dos serviços de emergência envolvem mecanismos complexos, além da credibilidade e confiança na instituição, facilidade de acesso e baixa resolutividade dos outros serviços da rede pública de saúde. Contrariamente ao senso comum e a visão corrente de vários gestores do sistema de saúde, a problemática de superlotação dos serviços de emergência não reside apenas na atenção primária, mas sim no baixo poder de resolução da rede hospitalar. / Overcrowding in Emergency Department is a Public Health problem not only in Brazil. However, information about the population that search for emergency medical care at tertiary hospitals in Brazil is incomplete. Therefore, the main objective of this work was to reconstruct the pathway of these patients until their arrival to the Clinical Emergency Department of a tertiary Hospital. During a typical week, 1121 patients were attended at the Hospital das Clínicas Clinical Emergency Department, São Paulo, Brazil. From this total, 946 were interviewed and 881 (93,1%) were selected to the study. The selected patients were questioned by health care professionals before the medical consult, regarding their demographic characterization, as well as questions about the reasons why they choose this specific health service. Variables associated to the patients coming to the hospital were studied by univariate analysis followed by construction of a logistic regression model. The emergency service demand is composed predominantly by white women, 44 years old (mean age), living in São Paulo City (81,3%), low instruction grade, monthly income around US$ 80. Only 5% of them have private health care plan. Usually they have a primary medical service (72,5%) or a hospital/emergency service (53,4%)in their home neighborhoods. More than half of the patients (56,2%) came directly to the Clinical Emergency Department, without searching for a less complex service. The most frequent diagnosis was upper airways infections. More than 92% of the patients attended were discharged after a simple medical consultation, suggesting that they could have been seen in a less complex health care facility. Patients not married, aged between 25 and 39 years old, with higher level of instruction, without clinical disease and that had been attended at Hospital das Clínicas any time were more likely to search this emergency service before to go to other health services. In other hand, patients living far from the service and with symptoms during several days were less likely to search this service directly. Asked the reasons they search this specific Emergency Service, patients cited credibility and trust are major factors, along with lack of confidence and solving ability of the others services. Factors priming the patients to have this specific service as a first choice were living close to the Hospital, higher education level, symptoms lasting less than one day and fever as a presenting symptom. From the patients attended in other services, prior to their arrival at this Emergency Department, 26,4% were seen at primary care facilities and 73,6% at other hospitals. In this study we have shown that the reasons why patients search for a Clinical Emergency Department in a tertiary Hospital is very complex, including easy access, credibility and lack of trust in other services. These results are contrary to the common sense, and the current view of Health Care directors. Overcrowding in Emergency Departments is due not only to inefficiency Primary Care services, but also to low solving ability of hospital services.

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A superlotação de serviços de emergência é problema sério e de grande relevância do sistema de saúde, não sendo restrito ao nosso meio. Os estudos que enfocam esse tema vêm tomando proporções na literatura internacional. O que se vem vivenciando há mais de uma década são prontos socorros lotados devido a um deslocamento da população em direção a estes serviços, configurando-os como prestadores de atenção primária de assistência à saúde e, não de fato, destinados ao atendimento de emergências. O principal objetivo do estudo foi recompor a trajetória do usuário do serviço de saúde até a chegada à unidade de emergência de um hospital terciário do município, qualificando-o segundo as razões de escolha de atendimento e caracterizando seu perfil socioeconômico e demográfico. Este estudo de corte transversal se restringiu à análise da demanda espontânea do Pronto Socorro de Emergências Clínicas do Hospital das Clínicas da Universidade de São Paulo. Foram entrevistados todos os usuários que procuraram este serviço durante uma semana típica. Dos pacientes entrevistados, foram incluídos no estudo 881 pacientes, o que representou 93,1% do total. Realizada a análise estatística univariada, seguida pela construção de um modelo de regressão logística, para estudo das variáveis associadas à vinda direta ao pronto socorro. Os resultados demonstraram que a demanda era constituída predominantemente de mulheres, brancas, com idade média de 44 anos, baixo grau de instrução, com rendimento per capita mensal de até uns salários mínimos e residentes no município de São Paulo (81,3%). Cinco por cento tinham direito à assistência médica privada. Quanto ao acesso a serviços de saúde, 72,5% residiam próximo a serviços de saúde de atenção primária e 53,4% a hospitais e/ou prontos socorros. Quanto à trajetória percorrida antes da chegada ao pronto socorro, 56,2% procuraram diretamente o pronto socorro. Dos pacientes que procuraram outros serviços previamente, 26,4% passaram por unidades básicas de saúde e 73,6% por outros hospitais/prontos socorros. Dos 881 pacientes entrevistados, 771 foram dispensados após consulta médica. As características associadas à vinda direta ao pronto socorro foram: nível superior de escolaridade, não ser casado, não ter diagnóstico médico, possuir cartão do Hospital das Clínicas, ter idade entre 25 e 39 anos e contribuir para a Previdência Social. Por outro lado, quanto maior a duração da queixa e quanto mais distante o local de residência, menor a probabilidade de procurar este serviço diretamente. As razões do uso dos serviços de emergência envolvem mecanismos complexos, além da credibilidade e confiança na instituição, facilidade de acesso e baixa resolutividade dos outros serviços da rede pública de saúde. Contrariamente ao senso comum e a visão corrente de vários gestores do sistema de saúde, a problemática de superlotação dos serviços de emergência não reside apenas na atenção primária, mas sim no baixo poder de resolução da rede hospitalar. / Overcrowding in Emergency Department is a Public Health problem not only in Brazil. However, information about the population that search for emergency medical care at tertiary hospitals in Brazil is incomplete. Therefore, the main objective of this work was to reconstruct the pathway of these patients until their arrival to the Clinical Emergency Department of a tertiary Hospital. During a typical week, 1121 patients were attended at the Hospital das Clínicas Clinical Emergency Department, São Paulo, Brazil. From this total, 946 were interviewed and 881 (93,1%) were selected to the study. The selected patients were questioned by health care professionals before the medical consult, regarding their demographic characterization, as well as questions about the reasons why they choose this specific health service. Variables associated to the patients coming to the hospital were studied by univariate analysis followed by construction of a logistic regression model. The emergency service demand is composed predominantly by white women, 44 years old (mean age), living in São Paulo City (81,3%), low instruction grade, monthly income around US$ 80. Only 5% of them have private health care plan. Usually they have a primary medical service (72,5%) or a hospital/emergency service (53,4%)in their home neighborhoods. More than half of the patients (56,2%) came directly to the Clinical Emergency Department, without searching for a less complex service. The most frequent diagnosis was upper airways infections. More than 92% of the patients attended were discharged after a simple medical consultation, suggesting that they could have been seen in a less complex health care facility. Patients not married, aged between 25 and 39 years old, with higher level of instruction, without clinical disease and that had been attended at Hospital das Clínicas any time were more likely to search this emergency service before to go to other health services. In other hand, patients living far from the service and with symptoms during several days were less likely to search this service directly. Asked the reasons they search this specific Emergency Service, patients cited credibility and trust are major factors, along with lack of confidence and solving ability of the others services. Factors priming the patients to have this specific service as a first choice were living close to the Hospital, higher education level, symptoms lasting less than one day and fever as a presenting symptom. From the patients attended in other services, prior to their arrival at this Emergency Department, 26,4% were seen at primary care facilities and 73,6% at other hospitals. In this study we have shown that the reasons why patients search for a Clinical Emergency Department in a tertiary Hospital is very complex, including easy access, credibility and lack of trust in other services. These results are contrary to the common sense, and the current view of Health Care directors. Overcrowding in Emergency Departments is due not only to inefficiency Primary Care services, but also to low solving ability of hospital services.

Background Oxygen is one of the most commonly used drugs by anesthesiologists. The World Health Organization (WHO) gave recommendations regarding perioperative oxygen administration, but the practice of oxygen use in anesthesia, critical emergency, and intensive care medicine remains unclear. Methods We conducted an online survey among members of the European Society of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care (ESAIC). The questionnaire consisted of 46 queries appraising the perioperative period, emergency medicine and in the intensive care, knowledge about current recommendations by the WHO, oxygen toxicity, and devices for supplemental oxygen therapy. Results Seven hundred ninety-eight ESAIC members (2.1% of all ESAIC members) completed the survey. Most respondents were board-certified and worked in hospitals with > 500 beds. The majority affirmed that they do not use specific protocols for oxygen administration. WHO recommendations are unknown to 42% of respondents, known but not followed by 14%, and known and followed by 24% of them. Respondents prefer inspiratory oxygen fraction (FiO2) ≥80% during induction and emergence from anesthesia, but intraoperatively < 60% for maintenance, and higher FiO2 in patients with diseased than non-diseased lungs. Postoperative oxygen therapy is prescribed more commonly according to peripheral oxygen saturation (SpO2), but shortage of devices still limits monitoring. When monitoring is used, SpO2 ≤ 95% is often targeted. In critical emergency medicine, oxygen is used frequently in patients aged ≥80 years, or presenting with respiratory distress, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, myocardial infarction, and stroke. In the intensive care unit, oxygen is mostly targeted at 96%, especially in patients with pulmonary diseases. Conclusions The current practice of perioperative oxygen therapy among respondents does not follow WHO recommendations or current evidence, and access to postoperative monitoring devices impairs the individualization of oxygen therapy. Further research and additional teaching about use of oxygen are necessary.

Introduction: Central Line-Associated Bloodstream Infections (CLABSIs) are a major cause of increased mortality, morbidity and healthcare costs in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) patients. Despite CDC's efforts to reduce infection rates, patients often suffer consequences. The objective of this study is to perform a systematic review of strategies utilized in the neonatal population and evaluate them with the current CDC's guidelines to assess the effectiveness of bundles in preventing CLABSI in NICUs. Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted using CINAHL Plus with Text, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews and MEDLINE from January 2008 up to 2018. There were multiple search terms used and these included "neonate OR newborn OR infant", "CLABSI OR central line-associated bloodstream infection", "intervention OR prevention" and "bundle". The search solely focused on the outcome of infant patients. Therefore studies were excluded for the following criteria: being non-peer reviewed, being published before 2008, and being a case in which CLABSI was assessed in patients outside the NICU. See Table 4 and 5 for further information. Results: Eight articles were eligible for inclusion all of which CDC's guidelines were implemented in their strategy of intervention. The systematic review showed that adherence to care bundles decreases infection rates drastically. All eight articles reported a significant decrease in CLABSI rates following the implementation of the bundle set by CDC with two studies achieving a CLABSI rate of zero. Author's Conclusion: Implementation of care bundles showed a success in reducing CLABSI rates in the NICUs; however none of the studies endorsed a specific bundle application utilized to achieve its intended goal. Some practices adopted CDC's guidelines more than others and those showed a greater decrease in infection rate. In addition, it is evident that nurses deliver the best care when preventing an infection. Further research is needed to assess the effectiveness of a specific bundle element.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a leading cause of disability worldwide. Annually, 150 to 200/1,000,000 people become disabled as a result of brain trauma. Axonal degeneration is a critical, early event following TBI of all severities but whether axon degeneration is a driver of TBI remains unclear. Molecular pathways underlying the pathology of TBI have not been defined and there is no efficacious treatment for TBI. Despite this significant societal impact, surprisingly little is known about the molecular mechanisms that actively drive axon degeneration in any context and particularly following TBI. Although severe brain injury may cause immediate disruption of axons (primary axotomy), it is now recognized that the most frequent form of traumatic axonal injury (TAI) is mediated by a cascade of events that ultimately result in secondary axonal disconnection (secondary axotomy) within hours to days. Proposed mechanisms include immediate post-traumatic cytoskeletal destabilization as a direct result of mechanical breakage of microtubules, as well as catastrophic local calcium dysregulation resulting in microtubule depolymerization, impaired axonal transport, unmitigated accumulation of cargoes, local axonal swelling, and finally disconnection. The portion of the axon that is distal to the axotomy site remains initially morphologically intact. However, it undergoes sudden rapid fragmentation along its full distal length ~72 h after the original axotomy, a process termed Wallerian degeneration. Remarkably, mice mutant for the Wallerian degeneration slow (Wlds) protein exhibit ~tenfold (for 2–3 weeks) suppressed Wallerian degeneration. Yet, pharmacological replication of the Wlds mechanism has proven difficult. Further, no one has studied whether Wlds protects from TAI. Lastly, owing to Wlds presumed gain-of-function and its absence in wild-type animals, direct evidence in support of a putative endogenous axon death signaling pathway is lacking, which is critical to identify original treatment targets and the development of viable therapeutic approaches. Novel insight into the pathophysiology of Wallerian degeneration was gained by the discovery that mutant Drosophila flies lacking dSarm (sterile a/Armadillo/Toll-Interleukin receptor homology domain protein) cell-autonomously recapitulated the Wlds phenotype. The pro-degenerative function of the dSarm gene (and its mouse homolog Sarm1) is widespread in mammals as shown by in vitro protection of superior cervical ganglion, dorsal root ganglion, and cortical neuron axons, as well as remarkable in-vivo long-term survival (>2 weeks) of transected sciatic mouse Sarm1 null axons. Although the molecular mechanism of function remains to be clarified, its discovery provides direct evidence that Sarm1 is the first endogenous gene required for Wallerian degeneration, driving a highly conserved genetic axon death program. The central goals of this thesis were to determine (1) whether post-traumatic axonal integrity is preserved in mice lacking Sarm1, and (2) whether loss of Sarm1 is associated with improved functional outcome after TBI. I show that mice lacking the mouse Toll receptor adaptor Sarm1 gene demonstrate multiple improved TBI-associated phenotypes after injury in a closed-head mild TBI model. Sarm1-/- mice developed fewer beta amyloid precursor protein (βAPP) aggregates in axons of the corpus callosum after TBI as compared to Sarm1+/+ mice. Furthermore, mice lacking Sarm1 had reduced plasma concentrations of the phosphorylated axonal neurofilament subunit H, indicating that axonal integrity is maintained after TBI. Strikingly, whereas wild type mice exhibited a number of behavioral deficits after TBI, I observed a strong, early preservation of neurological function in Sarm1-/- animals. Finally, using in vivo proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy, I found tissue signatures consistent with substantially preserved neuronal energy metabolism in Sarm1-/- mice compared to controls immediately following TBI. My results indicate that the Sarm1-mediated prodegenerative pathway promotes pathogenesis in TBI and suggest that anti-Sarm1 therapeutics are a viable approach for preserving neurological function after TBI.

Abstract Amidst the worst disaster to impact a major U.S. city in one hundred years, New Orleans’ main trauma and safety net medical center, the Reverend Avery C. Alexander Charity Hospital, was permanently closed. Charity’s administrative operator, Louisiana State University (LSU), ordered an end to its attempted reopening by its workers and U.S. military personnel in the weeks following the August 29, 2005 storm. Drawing upon rigorous review of literature and an exhaustive analysis of primary and secondary data, this case study found that Charity Hospital was closed as a result of disaster capitalism. LSU, backed by Louisiana state officials, took advantage of the mass internal displacement of New Orleans’ populace in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in an attempt to abandon Charity Hospital’s iconic but neglected facility and to supplant its original safety net mission serving the poor and uninsured for its neoliberal transformation to favor LSU’s academic medical enterprise.